During surgery on a patient, it is often desirable to irrigate a surgical site with a fluid, such as water, to clean or clear away blood, tissue, or other items obscuring the vision of a surgeon in the surgical site. Suction or aspiration in the surgical site may also be used to vacuum away blood, tissue, or other items obscuring the vision of the surgeon in the surgical site.
Hand held surgical instruments have typically been used to provide irrigation and/or aspiration. The surgeon typically does not operate the hand held surgical instrument that provides irrigation and/or aspiration. An assistant surgeon or nurse handling such instruments may provide irrigation and/or aspiration of the surgical site. The surgeon gives verbal instructions to the assistant surgeon or nurse to provide irrigation and/or aspiration of the surgical site. If the surgeon could both control the surgical instruments and the irrigation and aspiration of the surgical site, verbal instructions could be reduced and surgical procedures may be more efficient.